The Black Page

The Sancho Plan are a collective of writers, musicians, animators, designers and computer programmers, whose creative output has been shown in clubs, festivals, cinemas, theatres and on computer screens around the world. Their work is renowned for the innovative way in which they use digital technologies to create cinematic performances.

The Sancho Plan produce live shows and interactive installations, exploring the real-time interaction between music and video and its potential for narrative and storytelling. Through the careful combination of animation, sound, music and interactive technology, they create fantastical worlds in which animated musical characters are triggered by a variety of electronic instruments and devices, live on stage.

I produced their show The Black Page in 2008, which tells the tale of a lost wanderer who stumbles into a surreal desert landscape, and learns that the door home can only be opened by an unusual guardian. Frank Zappa meets Salvador Dali in This unique interactive entertainment experience. The Black Page received mentoring from Hollywood production designer Alex McDowell (Dreamworks, Fight Club etc) and Pixar animator Mark Walsh. Soho’s prestigious Golden Square Production Company (Chris Cunningham, Utah Saints) collaborated with the team to refine the visual production.

The show toured the UK and internationally during 2009⁄10.

For the project I secured funding support from Arts Council England, Northern Film + Media, PRS Foundation, the Institute of Digital Innovation, Tyneside Cinema, and Sponsors Club for Arts & Business.